Originally called L7 Foto (the L and 7 looking like an open box for ‘think outside the box) and renamed Camera Dojo in 2008 since so many people had issues with the F instead of PH.

I think I really innovated the photography podcast with almost 100 conversations with industry leaders. The first iteration of the podcast was completely unscripted and was never a simple Q&A session. After a hiatus to try to figure out how to re-invent the show, the GoCast was created with just myself as I drive to and from clients, shoots, or other locations sharing my thoughts on a particular topic.

In November of 2010 we launched Blackbelt Lighting Products as a sister site to Camera Dojo to sell good quality lighting equipment at the best prices we could. Blackbelt Lighting grew from just two products to a complete lineup in a very short period of time and continues to evolve and grow.

Looking back, I think I have done a pretty good job of keeping the content fresh, relative, and educational while striving to be as interesting and entertaining as possible. Over the years it has not been the love of the site, a competitive issue, and certainly not money that has kept Camera Dojo alive…it has been the readers. The emails I receive from some of you that something I said or wrote made a huge difference for you, that it changed your photography, or helped your business. Just knowing that I have made even a small difference in some people’s lives has meant everything to me and I very much appreciate hearing from everyone that has ever written in.

Now on to you…what would you like to see? What type of content do you need? Camera Dojo was not intended to be all about me spouting whatever I felt like every week. It has always, and will continue to be driven by the needs and requirements of its readers so let me know what you would like. Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email.

I want to thank all of you for being here, supporting the website, and giving me feedback. I also have to thank all of the sponsors who have graciously given of equipment, resources, and time to help me create content for you. Please support the sponsors of the site as they are some of the best companies in the industry and I couldn’t have done what I have done without them.

So what is in store for The Dojo? You have seen some articles lately relating to video, so look for that to be a big influencer not just on the content, but also in how the content is going to be presented. In 2012 we are going to launch some completely new concepts in photography education, maybe some of the ideas will work, maybe some won’t, but I have never been the type of person to not try something for fear it won’t work. In the end, it will be you, the Camera Dojo audience that will decide what works and what doesn’t. Maybe some of the ideas will need to be tweaked to work properly, but rest assured, I will continue to strive to provide the best content I possibly can and make it as entertaining as possible,

1. DIY Photography
   (http://www.diyphotography.net)
   Udi does a terrific job at bringing alternative ways of lighting, shooting, and creating light modifiers to people without unlimited budgets.
2. John Nack’s Blog
   (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/)
   John is the product manager for Photoshop and almost every day has a new blog entry with something interesting or cool to look at.
3. Photo Business News
   (http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/)
   John Harrington writes several times a week with news and information relevant to the business of photography. This is one of my must-read blogs every week.
4. Strobist
   (http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/)
   David Hobby has several posts a week that specialize in talking about working with small accessory flash units and getting the most out of them. This is definitely one of the best sites if you are into lighting.
5. Lightroom Journal
   (http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/)
   This is the official blog from Adobe for Photoshop Lightroom. All official Lightroom news is posted here.
6. Lightroom Killer Tips
   (http://lightroomkillertips.com)
   Matt Kloskowski posts excellent tips and presets several times a week for Lightroom users.
7. Digital Pro Talk
   (http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/)
   This is the home of David Ziser, one of the top wedding photographers in the world. David is one of the most prolific bloggers around and posts awesome shooting and lighting tips virtually every day. He posts so much that its hard to keep up with all of his posts. This is another must-read site.
8. Flash Flavor
   (http://flashflavor.com/)
   Matt Adcock takes some of the most amazing photos you will see anywhere and is simply an inspiration to go through and see what he is doing and how he does it.
9. Digital Photography School
   (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/)
   This site from Darren Rowse is chock full of good tips and tutorials with new content on a regular basis.
10. Rob Galbraith DPI
    (http://www.robgalbraith.com)
    Rob always has good information and is often the first with breaking news.
11. TWIP
    (http://twipphoto.com/)
    Although known more for their podcast than their blog, the This Week in Photography blog has a new post every day. Maybe someday CameraDojo will get mentioned on their show (hint hint) – wow, CameraDojo got mentioned on their site today!
12. Photoshop Insider
    (http://scottkelby.com)
    Another site with several new posts every week from Scott as well as regular guest bloggers.
13. 1001 Noisy Cameras
    (http://www.1001noisycameras.com)
    With new info more often than you change your underwear, 1001 Noisy Cameras may never win a design excellence award but certainly is at the top of most lists of useful and informative sites.
14. Pro Photo Life
    (http://www.prophotolife.com)
    This site from Jim Talkington amazes me that I don’t see it on most “top sites” lists like this. Jim does regular video tutorials and the wealth of content on his site is awesome. If you aren’t visiting this site every week, you are missing out on some fantastic stuff.
15. PhotoJojo
    (http://photojojo.com)
    You don’t even have to remember to go to PhotoJojo, this is a twice a week newsletter that is emailed to you with cool stuff in every email. Sign up and never miss it.
16. Photo Walk Pro
    (http://www.revellphotography.com/blog/)
    Jeff Revell’s site is another often-0verlooked site since many people think it is just about photo walking. Jeff also does a good amount of tips and tutorials for shooting and for working with Photoshop.
17. The Pioneer Woman
    (http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/)
    Ree Drummond must be the most amazing woman on the planet, with multiple blogs about her life including photography, cooking, home and garden, and more she is a non-stop blogging phenomenon. While her sites appeal mostly to women, her photography stuff appeals to everyone.
18. Lighting Essentials
    (http://www.lighting-essentials.com)
    This is another excellent site for tutorials on lighting. Don Giannatti is an awesome photographer and is bringing his knowledge and experience into this website.
19. DPReview
    (http://dpreview.com)
    If you just have to know everything there is to know about camera bodies and lenses, DPReview is the encyclopedia of all camera knowledge when it comes to specs and unbiased technical reviews.
20. AllTop
    (http://photography.alltop.com/)
    Alltop.com is the brainchild of Guy Kawasaki and the photography section is filling up with a great list of photography sites. Bookmark this page there and never have a lack of reading material.

While there are dozens of other sites out there that are all worthy of being on any list like this, I decided I was going to stick to the top 20 sites that I personally use. Please add your own favorites into the comments.

Dane’s book, Fast Track Photographer, is designed to help you find yourself and where you fit into the market. Along with the book is the pDNA Assesement which is a tool to help you figure out your strengths and weaknesses and provides useful guides for improvement.

I am currently working my way through the book and the pDNA and have found it so useful that I wanted to help our readers to get the book and start getting out of it what I have been getting. Dane has generously given us two discount codes.

If you use the code cameradojo you will get 10% off the printed copy of the book. If you want the audio book, use the code cameradojoaudio for 10% off of that version.  Either way, this is an excellent Christmas gift that you should give to yourself or a loved one and use it as a guide for making your business better in the coming year.

For more information about the book, please visit http://fasttrackphotographer.com.

Certainly some people think that David has lost his marbles, but is he completely off-base here? Even Chase Jarvis has some thoughts on this idea. I do not believe this idea is anything really new here, and perhaps explaining it in the way David does may make it sound like something new and unique. The fact is, many of us have done free work for a variety of different reasons. Here are some examples of what I have done, and often continue to do with any money exchanging hands.

Work with models when I need subjects for lighting tutorials or to experiment with new products
Absolutely, I don’t get paid for writing articles for CameraDojo (any potential sponsors, please contact me) so when I need subjects for shoots to try out new lights, techniques, or for a subject of an article, I turn to craigslist or Model Mayhem to find someone that will work with me in exchange for some nice headshots, body shots, or whatever they need for their portfolio. Since I am not bound by any constraints during these shoots, some of my best work has come out of some of these collaborations.

Shooting with big names in the industry
My bread and butter is wedding photography and I have had the pleasure of shooting with a number of excellent photographers which is how I learned the ins and outs of the business. I did plenty of those shoots for free in order to learn that segment of the trade. I would still be willing to second for the likes of David Ziser, Dane Sanders, Mike Colon, Frank Salas, or a number of people who are vastly more successful than me in order to get the experience working with them.

Social Interaction with other like-minded people
Two weeks ago I got together with a number of other photographers up at Robert Evans’ studio in North Hollywood to do a trash the dress shoot for a couple. They probably ended up with hundreds of images from a dozen photographers, none of which charged a nickle. Robert opened his studio, I brought fog machines and dry ice, Candice supplied several dresses, and a dozen people worked together on a project that was for the betterment of all involved. This was so fun and worthwhile, we have decided to try to do it once a month.

I suggest you take a good read at David’s article as well as Chase’s response and think about what you are doing with your photography. This will actually tie in well with next week’s podcast with Dane Sanders about figuring out who you are as a photographer. In these tough times, we need ideas that are outside the box, those who survive and push through, those who do whatever it takes to weather the storm and find ways of improving themselves at the same time will flourish as things get better.

Author: Kerry Garrison

Udi Tirosh – diyphotography.net

Brian Auer – blog.epicedits.com / fineartphotoblog.com / photonetcast.com

Jim Talkington – prophotolife.com

Rick Smolan – Against All Odds Productions

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